Floor wax applicator



Jul 23, 1957 o E. ZAHN FLOOR WAX APPLICATOR I 2 Sheets-Sheet l//Vl/EN7'OR OTTO E. ZAHN ATTORNEY Filed March 30, 1955 July 23, 1957 o.E. ZAHN FLOOR WAX APPLICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 30, 1955illlililllllllfilll'l lNl/ENTOR: OTTO E. ZAHN By: WW

FLOGR WAX APPLICATOR Otto E. Zahn, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to RajoMotor Company, Racine, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application March30, 1955, Serial No. 497,931

3 Claims. (Cl. 15131) This invention relates to a floor wax applicator.

It is an object of this invention to provide a floor wax applicator uponwhich various sizes of standard liquid wax containers, such as the pintand the quart, can be mounted to dispense wax.

Another object of this invention is to provide a floor wax applicatorwhich will readily support a standard liquid wax container and willpermit controlled wax dispensing directly from said container during useof the applicator.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a floor waxapplicator with an improved means of dispensing Wax from the container.

Other objects and advantages of this invention include the provision ofan inexpensive, simple, eflicient, and convenient floor wax applicator.

Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a preferred embodiment of thisinvention with a standard wax container mounted thereon as shownfragmentarily in dotted lines and showing only a part of the handle.

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1with the wax can shown sectioned and in solid lines.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3,with the dotted lines showing another position of the valve andactuator.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts through the severalviews.

The drawings show a preferred form of the floor wax applicator of thisinvention with a head having a suitable handle 11 attached thereto topermit the applicator to be operated when the user is in a standingposition. The head 10 and the handle 11 are preferably attached togetherthrough a sleeve 12 which is a portion of the handle and is shown inFig. 3 to be flared at an end 13 to engage an opening in a rear section14 of the head. Annular members 16 and 17 are fitted onto the sleeve end13, as shown, on opposite sides of the head section 14 to rigidly securethe sleeve and the head together. The handle 11 is shown to include areduced end portion 18 disposed within the sleeve 12 and rotatablyattached thereto with a screw 19 passing through the sleeve to projectinto a slot 21 extended 180 degrees around on the handle, as shown inFig. 5. Of course, the handle can then rotate 180 degrees in the sleeve12.

It should also be noted that the handle portion 18 receives a rod 22secured to the handle by being received in a slot therealong and byturning into the handle. An end 23 of the rod 22 projects beyond the endof the handle to be eccentric thereto and to attach to a spring clip 24,and the rod and the clip form a valve actuator as will be more apparentlater. The clip 24 is suitably secured to the rod 22, as shown in Figs.3 and 4, to extend upwardly therefrom in a portion 26 between a frontsection 27 of the head 10, and the rear section 14. The

2,799,880 Fatented July 23, 1957 clip 24 is bent to extend in front ofthe section 27 to support a spherical valve closure 28 on a spring wire29 which connects to the free ends of the clip 24 and extends through adiametrical hole in the ball 28. The latter is thus able to move withrespect to the clip 24 since the ball is spring attached to the clip.

The head 16 contains a section, recess, or opening 31 adjacent theclosure 28 which is therefore aligned with the opening 31 when theclosure is in the full line position shown in Fig. 4. When the handle 11is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4, the rod or pin 22moves upwardly to raise the clip 24 and the closure 28 to the dottedline position indicated, and to thus uncover the opening 31. A stop 32is preferably formed on the end of the sleeve 12 to limit the rotationof the rod 22 and the handle 11 in the direction opposite to that of thearrow.

It Will be further noted that a piece 33 is disposed on the sleeve 12and is curved to conform to the sleeve and be attached thereto throughthe screw 19. The piece 33 is provided with abutments 36 and 37 with thelatter one of the abutments extended further from the sleeve 12. Withthis arrangement, standard liquid wax containers of various sizes, suchas either the pint or quart size, can be mounted onto the applicatorwith the bottom of the pint container engaging the lower abutment 36,and alternatively, the bottom of the quart container engaging theabutment 37. The drawings show a pint size container 38 mounted onto theapplicator. Also, the head section 14 is provided with a resilientmember 41 which abuts the tops of the containers to be compressedthereby to insure tight mounting of the containers onto the applicator.

An important feature is that the container spout 42 aligns with thevalve 28 when the container is mounted onto the applicator as described.The spout thus serves as the valve seat for the closure 28 whicheffectively seals the spout 42 and will readily roll upwardly off thespout when actuated as described. Of course, opening the valve 28 willpermit the liquid wax to fiow from the can 38 and it should be notedthat the section 27 of the head 10 is provided with spaced apart guides40 which guide the wax onto the floor directly in front of the head 18and thus prevent the wax from spilling to the sides of the applicator.Further, the container exerts a force on the valve 28, and therefore theclip 24, to, in effect, resiliently mount the container on theapplicator and thereby secure the container in position.

The head 10 includes a pad 43 retained to the head by a rectangularpiece of wire 44 which snaps onto the lower ends of the head sections 14and 27. The pad is thus readily removable from the head 10. The sectionsof the head are preferably springy to secure the wire and the pad ingrooves in the ends of the head, as shown. The pad 43 is, of course,disposed to be horizontal when the handle 11 is inclined upwardly in awell-known position of use of this type of floor-working device.

As used in the specification and claims, the term standard liquid waxcontainer or the like is defined as a container employed for thedistribution of liquid wax, such as the container employed for the saleof Wax through retail stores.

While a specific embodiment of this invention has been shown anddescribed, it should be obvious that certain changes can be made thereinwithout departing from the scope of this invention which should,therefore, be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A floor wax applicator comprising in combination a head having anopening therein, a valve resiliently mounted on said head and disposedin said opening, a handle axially rotatably attached to said head withthe axis of said handle parallel to the axis of said opening,

3 clamp means on said handle to secure ,a liquid wax container-to saidapplicator with the spout of said container disposed insaid opening ofsaid head and with said valve yieldably seated on said spout, a valveactuator connected between said valve and said handle at an axiallyeccen-,

tric point on said handle for actuation of 'said' valve in responseto-rotation of said handle to control the flow-of liquid wax from saidcontainer. p

2. A fioor liquid wax applicator comprising in combination-ahead, asleeve attached to said head, ah'andle rotatably disposedwithiu'said-sleeve and extending there'- from at one end thereof andprojecting into said'head at the other end of said handle, a valveactuator connected to said other end of said handle, a valve'closu'r eresiliently mounted on said actuator and disposed-on said head,abutments on said sleeve and spaced therealong to each separately engagethe bottom rims of difierent sizes of'standard wax containers when thespout of each of said containers is juxtaposed to said valve closure,abutment means on said head and oppositely-disposed to said abutments onsaid sleeve for mounting each of said containers on said applicatorbetween a selected one'of said abutments on said sleeve and saidabutment means, said handle and said valve actuator connected togetherfor actuation of said valve closure upon rotation of said handle in saidsleeve to open and close said valve closure on said spout to control waxflow out of each of said containers. 7 t

,3. A floor liquid wax applicator comprising in combination a headsuitable for spreading liquid wax over a floor, a handle, handlesupporting means on said head for rotatably securing said handle to saidhead to the .rear .thereof, .a valve .actuator connected .to said handleand extending to said head, a valve mounted on said actuator at saidhead, means on said handle supporting means for engaging the bottom ofany one of various sizes 'of liquid wax containers to secure said bottomto said applicator with the spout of said one of said containerspositioned adjacent said head to provide a seat for said valve, means onsaid head for engaging the top of said one of said containers to securesaid top to said applicator, said valveactuator connected to an axiallyeccentric portion of said handle for actuation of said valve on saidspout upon rotation of said handle, ,a guide forming a trough on saidhead below the position of said spout to guide the liquid wax from saidspouttand onto the floor in front of said applicator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

